Vinyl resin floor covering and method of forming a sealable panel therewith



R E. ESHENAUR ETAL 2,605,514

Aug. 5, 1952 VINYL RESIN FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD OF FORMING A SEALABLE PANEL THEREWITH 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1948 j V//VYL RES/N www Aug. 5, 1952 R. E. ESHENAUR ET AL 2,605,514

VINYL RESIN FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD OF FORMING A SEALABLE PANEL THEREWITH 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1948 llg- 5, 1952 R. E. ESHENAUR ET AL 2,605,514

' VINYL RESIN FLOOR OOVERING AND METHOD OF FORMING A SEALABLE PANEL THEREWITH s sheds-sheet s Patented Aug. 5, 1952 VINYL RESIN FLOOR COVERING AND lVIETHOD F FORMING A SEALABLEY PANEL THEREWITH y Ray E. Eshenaur and Carl L. Broekman, Baltimore, Md., assignors to The Glenn L. Martin Company, Middle River, Md.,

Maryland a corporation of Application August 23, 1948, serial No. 45,714

14 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of a vinyl resin-coated, resilient, iire resistant floor covering and more particularly to the bonding `of strips of coating material formed of vinyl polymers or copolymers together and to a resilient supporting material t0 produce a unitary covering highly resistant to Wear and the absorption of moisture.

Heretofore, it has been considered necessary to cover theviioors and aisles of public conveyances, such as aircraft, trains, and busses, with car-l peting having a deep pile in order to achieve a oor covering having suitable underfoot resiliency and a reasonable wear value. Such thick carpeting material is not' only expensive, but heavy and highly inflammable. It also has the undesirable tendency to absorb moisture/which greatly adds to its original weight as well as is inducive to mustiness and decay. Furthermore, such material has a relatively short .life when subjected to such service conditions and is very difficult to keep clean as gummy substances, such as chewing gum, as well as food particles become quickly embedded in the nap of the rug are almost impossible to remove without injury to the rug. tional to arrange a floor covering with an aisle strip joined to side areas with 'seams running lengthwise ofthe conveyance. This arrangement not only provides for the use of different materials to meet different wear conditions, but allows for pleasing color combinations. However, prior to this time, the seamed juncture points between the strip edges and side areas have pre. sented serious problems of original installation, replacement, and excessive wear.

In the covering of the lloor kof an aircraft wherein the questions of weight and safetyare always important factors, especial problems are presented if the conventional type of heavy carpeting is used, for, in addition tof its original heaviness and its tendency t0 pick up and retain a. large quantity'of moisture under'certain con-v ditions whichresult inlinoreased weight, it is dif,-

cult to render and maintain re resistant with the degree of certainty desired. n

` The present invention obviates these difficulties by providing a light-weight, durable covering material, having a luxuriant underfoot feeling that is not only 're resistant and impervious to moisture, but can be seal-joined at` juncture points into a unitary covering. This is accom-A plished, according t0A the present invention, by providing a lire resistant assemblyconiprised of a'plurality of fabric sheets coated with one 0f (Ciao-"1) It is highly desirable and conventhe polyvinyl chloride type resins, secured 'toa relativelyv thick layer of neoprene impregnated wool iiber materialV as a kresilient pad which,'vin turn,i is secured to the surface to be covered with the juncture points of the resin coatings welded together and the edges ofthe coated material sealed to an undersurface support or an adjacent wall so asto retain the full resiliency of the" pad While excluding the admission of moistureifrom the pad. Y l l It is among'othe objects, of this inventionto provide .a method o f producing a wear resistant, resilient floor covering characterized by havingia relatively thin vinyl resin-coated fabric' sealably secured over a relatively thick layer of neoprene impregnated Wool. v I j A l Another object isto pro'videa iire. resistant', resilient coveringmaterial. l

Anotherv object is toprovi'de'l'a flooricovering material having a pluralityof strips or"are'as" of the same vor'V different colors capable of .being weld-,joined to form a unitary covering; s

A still`iurther object `is'to provide a covering material -that is highly resistantv to the absorption of moisture. Another object is to provide a light vwei'g t, inexpensive covering' material that is highly resistant to Wear and easy to clean.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following ,description when taken in conjunction vviththe drawings in which like numbers refer to like parts in different views'.

In the drawings: l Y Figure 1 is an enlarged sectional Vview of [the product ofthis invention shown attachedjto'a section of metal flooring.

Figure 2`is a 4similar view of another embodiment showing the. useof a pigment-restrainin''g membrane placed between the vinylresin-coated fabric and the supporting material. c

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional viewshowing a Asealed joint between two separate4 sheets rof the vinyl resin-coated fabricA which are showndn their preferred embodiment at 3-43 'ofvligurei Figure 4 is-a fragmentary plan view of anair'- craft showing the covering. materialof this'invention in place. g

Figure 5 is a fragmentary ksectional view. substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4. l

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 6'-6 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, Figure 1 illustratesl the coveringmaterial lll of this invention in which .a fabric Il coated withfa layer vof Vinyl'. resin l2 'is secured by la layer l oiadhesive taken coating materialv and thereby discolor it.

l I3 to a relatively thick layer or resilient supporting pad I 4 of matted Wool or hair fibers stabilized and rendered fire resistant by being impregnated with a linear polymer of chloroprene, commonly known inindustry'as neoprene. This assembly, in turn, iss'cured toa oor or' supporting structure I6 by a second layer of adhesive I5 for use 'over areas subject to foot traffic.

We have found that sateen material, having a weight of approximately 8 ounces to the square yard, provides a suitable type of fabric as at II for use as a base for the vinyl resin coatingrwhere a high degree of wear resistance withresiliency comparable to a deep pile carpet is desired. This material is not only relatively light in weight,

4 terial capable of stopping pigment movement, such as cellulose acetate, regenerated cellulose film, or metal foil compatible of adhesion with both the fabric and the Wool layer.

Y i' In Figure lvve show' a typicalfinsztallaticn of the floor covering material of this invention exl tending between side Walls 2I and bulk heads 22 Vformed at the sides and ends respectively of a conventional aircraft structure. It is to be noted that the aislegarea is covered with a separate sheet or stripr23 of covering material I@ from that of the side areas 24 and is joined thereto as at juncture lines 25 extending the entire length but also is suicientlyhigh in tensile and tear y strength to withstand this type of service. The

vinyl resin coating I2 is preferably embossedom to the fabric VII so as to add to the Wear resistance characteristics ofthe material and Valso'to 'attain'. a pleasing appearance."A A` numberjof the thermoplastic resins formed of vinyl polymers or copolymers has been found satisfactory as coating materials. Such a coating Ahaving a thickness of; 0.02.1nch or approximately 8 ounces to the square" yardof fabric material has been found to'provide Aan abrasive indexin excessof 250V aslvcompared with an index of only 10-20 for the conventional deep-pile type carpet material customarily. usedin aisleways. The fabric'is attached; tothe neoprene latex impregnated VWool pad I4, by a layer ofradhesive I3, lsprayed on .the top -surfa'ceof thewool pad or applied to the undergsurface' ofV the fabric.. The adhesive I3 is preferably colorless and of a vinyl type compatibleY with b oth the coating resin I2 and the neoprene of the Wool pad 1I4. By the reference to ayinyltype adhesive, it is intended to describe anyofthe vinyl chlorideA and acetate adhesives gconta'iningabout'20fper cent of plasticizers which are not migratory, asjit has been found that this .type of adhesive is capable of absorbing any migratorylplasticizer that might come `in contact with it and provides a lasting bond that will withstand the` great amount of exing that a 'coveringimaterial would be subjected tok under the service conditions described herein.

VIn order to secure suitable resiliency 'in areas 'subject to a vgreatrdeal of wear, the neoprene latex impregnated Woolpad I4 should be of a thickness of from 1% to 1A of an' inch, and have a density of approximately 8 pounds per cubiczfoot. The wool pad I4 issecurely affixed `to thesupporting structure( Iiiby a" second layerof adhesive I5 of any conventionalftype suitable for. adhering ,la vneoprene impregnated ymaterialjto. the support surface. Although the .supportingstructure is shown as metal, z-it is to be understood `that the floor covering of'this 'invention willgive satisfactory service when used fvs zitlrother;supporting materials, such as wood, 'concrete;` etc., aflixed thereto by Aan adhesive havin` 'the desired characteristics for such ap- ",In installingftransparent covering materials vor thoseof extremely light color where Van. ordinary adhesive I5, as shown in Figure 2, Vis to be used,`it has been found highly desirable tojplace a pigment-restraining membrane I1 directly underneath the fabric l I so as to restrain. any tendency, which any of the color lpigin'ent in the adhesive or neoprene latex im- ,preg-na'ted pad I41may have, yto pass into the The llneml'irance 'I'I may be of any suitable type maof the aircraft. Conventional type aircraft seats 26 are shown illustratively at each side of the aisle secured in place with the covering ma terial of the side areas 2d extended thereunder.

The juncture lines 25 are formed by the outer edges of the coating IZ-of strip 23 being aligned and heat welded (seeFigure 3) to the similar coating of areas 24 to form a. unitary covering extending from wall to Yvvall of theaircraft.' The elimination of open seams that'would "otherwise allovv admission of Water and dirt beneath `the floor surface is thereby accomplished. Even though the present floorv covering eliminates the problems presented by the conventional type seam, it presents no limitations as tov the'number and types of sections that may be joined-together. Any number of strips and sections vmay be added together; and While only an'v aisle strip is shown joined to side areas 24, it isto beunderstood that the same type of juncturing lends itself .well to the insertion of inlays andv likearrangements of coatings as desired. VA floor covering of this type has unusual utility in that it A provides for the use of a darker material where the Wear is greatest, such as for the aisle strip 23, as compared with the ycovering of side areas 24 Where thewear is less. Different colored oor coverings are pleasing in appearance, harmonize well with different interior decorating schemes, and also have the added advantage ofallowing for sectionall replacement if eventually necessitated by wear. By the installation of f darker colored strips of material on the aislesv and the step approach areas of public conveyances, which areas are subjected to rst use by the passengers and are, therefore, dirtied more quickly, by reason of the dirt carried in by the passengers, than the side areas, greatly reduced costof maintenance is attained without a material loss in appearance. Prior to this time, such an arrangement of different colored floor coverings .has presented a serious problem of properly segcuring the juncture edges of the different materials against exceptional Wear and the introduction of moisture and vdirt therebetween.

Whereas, with the productief this inventiorrfa Y ;a smooth, uniform surface is presented.v `The vinyl resin coating lI2 of aisle'strip 23 and cover:- ing material of 'the lside area. 24 are brought together-and heat-Welded .to form a bonded joint I8 with the fabric VIl of strip 23 and area 24heing-brought into butted relationship as atfI l1.

This butted relationship I9 of the fabric layersjis maintained andf'reinforced by `ther addition, ofan understrip 20 of suflicient widthto overlap each -side fof "theb'utti joint 119. for. :adhesive rattachment vto ithe f fabric layersl f as shown in `Figure L3. The -under strip `2,0 not'fonly proyidesffor reinforcement of the 'joint I9, ibutialso provides -a smooth surface for the adhesive attachment-of the: joined fabrics; to the.. neoprene-impregnated wool 4layerzoripad yI4 arranged thereunder;

:Figure :illustrates. thefunanner in'which :an :access ,panel 2I as inthe floor Ais formed with rthe vinyl resin coating yI2 -a'ndfabricqIsI turned under to forma suitablej'jcint'.with'theqtopsurlface-depressed below. the floor level'area`28.. rIn forming ajoint of this` the wool Y,pad I4 rofthe panel 2'I .is reducedfin thicknessxsufii- -zciently to provide for.r double thicknesses of Vthe coated fabric I I turned ba'ck toxface ldownward `:toibearagainst the covering'offarea I4^andvstill fretain'the original thickness of the panel. V,The ',woolipa'd I,4"of the `floor level area :28 is cut back ,a-sufcient, distance to allow the fabric I-I torbe zadhesivelyfjoined tothe supportingstructure lI6 to form a sealed joint 29.-'therewith. .It is merely necessary A,that a sufficienty amount ofthe wool .pad 4I4 in the panel -21 be removed to provide 4for the increased thickness causedvbythe doubled Yback arrangementof the coatings I2 and fabrics II of the panel seated on the coating ofthe fabric depressed below the floor level 28 adjacent the supporting structure I6 'at point 29. vThe weight of the Apanel -2-'I is normally suiii- 'cient Ato hold it in seated position reasonablyjse- -`cure against admission of moisture; however, in those instances where the panel 'need not lbe ready of removal 'and where an extremely watertight joint is desired, it has been'found desirable to apply a bounding layer l30 of 4adhesive between the doubled back coating -of panel 21 and .the `depressed coating of the adjacent section. Panelso-f this type a-re suitable for use :at locations where `access to areas'v belowl the floor line fis-.necessary for maintenance or other purposes. In order to effectg-a sealed-in. condition adjacent the walls -2I and bulkheads 2-2 relative to the resilient wool pad I4, Ythe outer coating 'I2' 4.and fabric I'I are extended a suitable distance up each -of the vertical members as. shown in Figure-6, and attached thereto by a coating of adhesive I3. The wool pad I4fisv laid horizontally with the floor structure vwith edges termi-- .nated at the wall or bulkheadvas 'the-casemay be. A metal angle plate VV3I placed adjacent the -walls 2I and bulkheads 22 and v-held in placeby suitable securing means, such asscrews '32, provides-an attractive sci-iff plate thatalso serves to hold the floor lcovering material in 'place adi .jacent thev wall structure. i-Angle plate 3-I isi drawn `down sufciently against the` oorgcover- .in'g material by screws 32 to forma gasket-like =seal, extending around the fentire periphery-of the floor area so as to exclude the admission of watery which might gather on' theY floor areas and which might otherwise penetrate into the resil- .ient under-surface material. Being sealed to the admission of moisture, such a floor covering has the advantage o -f being easily cleaned by washing with water in the usual manner, as aregular maintenance operation.

Our method of forming .this invention is as'follows:

The Wool pad I4 is adhesively attached to the floor I6 to be covered. We have `attained the best results' by adhering approximatelyA one square yard of material at a time. A section of vfabric I I coated on one sidewith resin I2 of the desired color is uniformly coated onthevsid'e opposite A'from the resin with an adhesive. Upon 'the adthe floor*v covering oi '.16 hesive becoming tacky, the fabric isv smoothly spread over the Wool padf I4 jand .pulled downto attain asmooth surface. The above applies-to the installation of that portion of. a sectionfthat Aisspaced from an upright surface, such as a Wall fabricitoallow fora butt jointwiththe covering In joining dicemented to an upright member. vferent sections together. as v"at '3-'3 of Figure 4 where a juncture line is to be formed between'the different colored covering of. theaislefstrips 23 Sand the seat area -24,.the twopieces of covering :are'flaidffaceto face. The edges to be joined are Ibrought into alignment 'and clamped together withabout of an inch of the edges exposed beyond the clamped area. The vinyl resin .of the exposed edges is then softened and welded together by the application of heat. We have se- 4cured excellent results by using an electric soldering iron 'to weld the vinyl resin coatings together as well as an electric sewing machine Eheated suiiiciently to'cause uniform flow of the resin. The joined materials are then'allowed to cool thoroughly after whi-ch the two 'sections'a're unfolded vfor further handling. AA strip 20 (Figure 3) of fabric is adhesively applied over the butt jointv I9 'formed by the edges of the two pieces of fabric II as a seat for the joint. The joined sections are then adhesively securedto the underlying` pad I4 'as previously discussed in connection with the laying Aof the other sections.

The metal angle plate 3| is then placed adjacent the wall and bulkhead members and fastened in place with suitable securing means, `such as screws 32, so as to draw the covering material down 'tight with 'a portion' 'of thepad I4 vplaced in compression suliciently 'to 'effect ra `gasket-like seal between the vcovering `and the fioor. member.

Although wool fiber` material vhas been described as most desirable Afor use in forming the resilient layer or vpad I4, other materials capable' yof being rendered rire resistant may be used .-in Vthe manner disclosed by the inventionas found `desirable byr'eason of. their lower cost or availability. Likewise, it is to be understoodthat 'although applicants have described the use of .Sateen cloth as a base for the resin coating; the use ofother materials, such as glass cloth, woven asbestos. etc., would proveV satisfactory within certain roperating limitations.

vWhile we have described our invention in detail in its preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled inv the art after under'- standing our 'invent-ion that Various changes, a1- terations, modifications, and substitutions can be made thereon Without departing from' the Aspirit and. scope ofthe claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A oorcovering for a struture having" a floor member andan upright Wall member comprisng avresilient pad adapted for securin'gto the floor member with an edge of said pad 'placed adjacent the wall member in substantially abutting relation thereto, affvinyl resin coated fabric secured to saidp'ad'b'y a rlayer of vinyl resin ad# hesivecornpatibl'e with said vinyl resincoating' having itsa corresponding edge portion extended vbeyond Ythe pad and vupwardly along'"the Wall member andV sealably secured thereto, a metal plate positioned adjacent the edge of said pad having a surface parallel to said floor with securing means extended lthrough said plate, the fabric, and pad into engagement with the oor member to. place the edge of said pad under compression with'the platezin Vcontact'rvvith the vinyl coated fabric. 1 A 2 2; `A method of producing a sealed floorccvering for a structure having a iloor member which kcomprisesthe steps of coating the floor member with an adhesive, laying a resilient pad of -matted hair impregnated with a linear polymer of chloroprene to the coatedw-'surface of the floor member, preparing a vinylxresin coated-fabric for adhesive attachment to said" pad by coating the Aunderside of said fabric .with a coating of vinyl resinadhesive, allowing said adhesive'to become tacky, spreading the fabric over the pad with edges extended beyond said pad for attachment to the adjacent structure, and sealing the extended edgesV of the fabric` directly tothe structure to form a sealed covering over the supporting had.V

ing for a structure having a floor member which comprises the steps of coating the floor member with an adhesive, laying a resilient pad of matted hair impregnated with a` linearv polymer of chloroprene to the coatedsurface of the Hoor member, preparing a vinyl resin coated fabric'for `adhesive attachment to said pad by coating the underside of said fabric with a' coating of vinyl resin adhesive, allowing said adhesive to become tacky, spreading the fabric over the pad with edges extended beyond said pad for attachment to the adjacent structure, and Asealing the extended 'edgesof the fabric directly to the structure under compression to form a sealed covering over the supporting pad.

4. A method of producing a floor covering composed of a plurality of sheets as a unitary covering extending from Wall to Wall of an enclosure which comprises the steps of adhesively securing a resilient pad to the floor member, aligning one edge of two diiferent sheets of vinyl resin coated fabric with the vinyl resin coatings together,

'clamping said edges together at a point spaced inwardly of the .sheet edges, joining the vinyl resin coatingsr of said sheets together by the application of heat sumcient to cause iiow of said resin, allowing the heated resin tocool, unfolding the joined sheets to bring the-edges of the fabricof each sheet into butted relation to each other, covering said butted edges with a strip of adhesively attached fabric spaced inwardly of the resin coated surface, and adhesively securing said joined sheets to the resilient pad to form a unitary coveringl with edges adapted for sealed securingto the wall members.

5. A method of forming a sealable panel in a resilient floor covering which comprises securinga 'resilient pad to a oor member adjacent an area to be closed with a panel, covering said pad with a vinyl resin coated fabric with the edge of said fabric extended beyond the resilient rpad and adhesively secured directly toY said iloor member, forming a Vpanel for said area to be closedof impregnated wool fiber' formed to the same thickness as the adjacent pad except for the edge of the under side adapted for positioning adjacent the iioor membenlsaid lastmen- 3. A method of producing a sealed licor covertioned edge having a reduced thickness area', sev curing a'section of vinyl resin coated, fabric of greater area than the panel to the .wool fiber pad fabric.

' member.

6. A method of forming a sealable panel in a resilient oor covering which comprises lsecuring a resilient pad tov ancor member adjacent an areato be closed with-a panel, covering's'aid pad with a vinyl resin coated fabric with the edge of said fabric extended beyond the resilient pad and adhesively secured directly to said floor member, forming a panel for said area to be closed of impregnated wool ber formed to the same thickness as the adjacent pad except for the edge ofthe under side adapted for positioning adjacent'the floor member,v said last mentioned edge having a reduced thickness area, securing a section of vinyl resin coated Vfabric; of greater area than the panel to the wool ber padwith the edge turnedk under and positioned Vin said` Y each other. f

'7. Floor panel construction in connection with a floor member comprising a resilient pad formed with a panel opening edge .adhesively secured to a floor, a coated fabric covering sheet adhesively secured to said pad with said covering sheet having an edge portion extended beyond the pad edge and secured directly yto the door member, a panel formed of hair fibers having a top side covered with a coated fabricy complementary to -the aforementioned coveringv sheet with an edge area of said coated fabric being extended around the edge of the panel to form a seat area parallel with the top side of the panel, said panel being substantially of the same thickness as the pad and covering sheet with said extended edge area of silient base pad of substantial thickness adapted Y to be directly secured to a iioor and formed of mattedV hair'fbers stabilized and rendered iire resistant by being impregnated with a linear polymer of chloroprene, a relatively thin, flexible, vinyl resin-coated cloth fabric having its resin-coated side facing upwardly and constituting the upper, wearing surfacq of said iioor covering, said fabric being secured directly to said base pad by a layer of vinyl resin adhesive compatible with said vinyl resin coating andthe linearpolymer of chloroprene impregnation of said pad.

9. A floor' covering material comprising a pigment bearing resilient base pad of substantial thickness adapted to be directly secured to a floor and formed of matted wool fibers stabilized and rendered vfire resistant'by being impregnated with a linear polymer of chloroprene, a relatively thin, flexible, vinyl resin-coated cloth fabric having its resin-coated side facing upwardly and constituting the upper, wearing surface of said floor covering, said fabric being secured directly to said base pad by a layer of vinyl resin adhesive compatible with saidvinyl resin coating and the linear polymer of chloroprene impregnation of said pad, said adhesive acting as a barrier to mirgration of pigment between the pad and the oor covering material comprising. are.- silient baserpad of substantial thickness adapted to be directly secured to a floor and formed of matted hair fibers, a relatively thin, flexible, vinyl resin-coated cloth fabric having its resin-coated side facing upwardly and constituting the upper, wearing surface of said floor covering, said fabric being secured directly to said base pad by a layer of vinyl resin adhesive compatible with said vinyl resin coating.

11. A floor covering material comprising a pigment bearing resilient base pad of substantial thickness adapted to be directly secured to a floor and formed of matted Wool fibers, a relatively thin, flexible, vinyl resin-coated cloth fabric having its resin-coated side facing upwardly and constituting the upper, wearing surface of said floor covering, said fabric being secured directly to said base pad by a layer of vinyl resin adhesive compatible with said vinyl resin coating, said adhesive acting as a barrier to migration f pigment between the pad and the fabric.

12. A floor covering material comprising a resilient base pad of substantialthickness adapted to be directly secured to the floor of a structure and formed of matted hair fibers impregnated with a linear polymer o f chloroprene, a relatively thin, flexible, vinyl resin-coated cloth fabric having its resin-coated side facing upwardly and constituting the upper, wearing surface of said floor covering, said fabric being secured directly to said base pad by a layer of vinyl resin adhesive compatible with said vinyl resin coating.

13. A floor covering material comprising a resilientbase pad of substantial thickness adapted to be directly secured to the floor of a structure and formed of matted hair fibers impregnated with a linear polymer of chloroprene, a. relatively thin, flexible, vinyl resin-coated cloth fabric having its resin-coated side facing upwardly and constituting the upper, wearing surface of said floor covering, said fabric being secured directly -to said base pad by a layer of vinyl resin adhesive compatible vwith said vinyl resin coating and having its edge portion extended beyond the edges of said pad and into sealed engagement with said structure to effect exclusion of moisture from said pad.

14. A floor covering material comprising a. resilient base pad of substantial thickness adapted to be directly secured to a floor and formed of matted hair fibers, a plurality of relatively thin, flexible sheets of cloth fabric each having its upper surface coated with a polyvinyl chloride resin, adjacent sheets having their resin coatings fused together along the contacting edges thereof to form a smooth, unbroken unitary coating, said sheets being secured directly to said pad by a vinyl resin adhesive compatible with the vinyl resin of the unitary coating.

RAY E. ESHENAUR. CARL L. BROCKMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 298,095 Kleinert May 6, 1884 1,319,879 Lindley Oct. 28, 1919 1,967,105 Seymour July 17, 1934 1,967,863 Collins et al July 24, 1934 2,129,110 Weaver Sept. 6, 1938 2,202,977 Woodall June 4, 1940 2,209,247 Dildilian July 23, 1940 2,227,212 Beck Dec. 31, 1940 2,246,101 McEnany June 17, 1941 2,425,805 Hyman Aug. 19, 1947 2,430,934 Kemmeler et al Nov. 18, 1947 2,506,915 Bishop May 9, 1950 

4. A METHOD OF PRODUCING A FLOOR COVERING COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF SHEETS AS A UNITARY COVERING EXTENDING FROM WALL TO WALL OF AN ENCLOSURE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF ADHESIVELY SECURING A RESILIENT PAD TO THE FLOOR MEMBER, ALIGNING ONE EDGE OF TWO DIFFERENT SHEETS OF VINYL RESIN COATED FABRIC WITH THE VINYL RESIN COATING TOGETHER, CLAMPING SAID EDGES TOGETHER AT A POINT SPACED INWARDLY OF THE SHEET EDGES, JOINING THE VINYL RESIN COATINGS OF SAID SHEETS TOGETHER BY THE APPLICATION OF HEAT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE FLOW OF SAID 